Furthermore, officials decided that all beach vendors will have to draw a raffle ticket which to receive a number for a different location.

For Pattaya Beach, the raffle will take place on Aug. 2 while Jomtien Beach will draw on Aug. 9.

The drawing will take place once a year and ends the monopoly influential families have had on beach chair franchises. With more applicants than spaces available, it is inevitable some vendors who for years have operated on the beach will be shut out.

On my last visit, there was a Russian flag down at one end, which attracted almost exclusively Russian looking types. They seem happy to go there and I was happy they were down there. A great idea. There is of course no compulsion to use any section.

Then we have a gay section, which is relatively free from noisy screaming kids. I'm happy they go to another section & perhaps their parents are happy that all the gay smooching happens on the gay section.

Are the authorities going to mix all this up for no good reason ? Does Pattaya have any kind of tourist authority we can send an e-mail to ?

I might be repeating myself, but if they persuade all the beach goers to holiday somewhere else, what will be left is the gogo bar customers. If that is what they want.

The mystery of these sewer pipes being laid in the reclaimed sand of Dongtan Beach continues. In an earlier post I said this project (which starts just before the white House) was heading towards the toilet block. It now appears to my untrained eye that the sewer pipes have been diverted around the toilet block and the project is now heading towards the car park. There is an existing drainage system under the road which presumably takes excess water from Grand Condotel etc & which also presumably connects to the toilet block. Today with the downpour you could hear all the running water under the road, which begs the question what is the purpose of the new sewer pipes if they are not connecting to the established system ? Is it only to trap the rainfall that previously went into the sand & watered the trees ? Or am I missing something ? Incidentally a letter to the Bangkok Post said that of the 17 metres of Dongtan Beach 8 metres is being reclaimed for the presumed widening of the road & new footpath structure which I presume will be on top of the sewer pipes.

Jun wrote:A raffle for location ? I might be repeating myself, but if they persuade all the beach goers to holiday somewhere else, what will be left is the gogo bar customers. If that is what they want.

The bars could be closed forever at the whim of those in control. I get the impression that gays are not conducive to the new "family environment" the officials are pushing for Pattaya.

My Australian friend has been visiting Thailand for 3 to 6 months each year and for over 30 years, but after seeing what is happening at Dongtan beach recently and the deteriorated gay scene, has decided to sell his condo and return to Australia with only brief visits to Pattaya in the future.

aussie wrote:I get the impression that gays are not conducive to the new "family environment" the officials are pushing for Pattaya.

I don't know what gives you that impression. I hope it's not just because the city is building a better drain and re-arranging the palm trees on Dong Tarn beach.

Free-lancing daytimers are long gone from Dong Tarn due to the rise of sociosexual media; that loss of entertainment can't be blamed on the city. The farang who want to go there anyway, just to hang out with each other, will continue to do so, and if our favorite chair vendor is no longer located where we want them to be then we will take over whoever is there. We will make it our place, until culture or economics or the sand itself shifts once again.

Keep in mind, Dong Tarn is very touristy but it's part of Jomtien Beach and in total 90% of those who come to sit and relax there are Thai. Gay foreigners are doubly a minority, far too few for the city planners to be concerned with.

For me personally, since I live on Jomtien Beach and walk along Dong Tarn every day, is that the widening of the main path and the position of the new drain will eliminate a lot of shade. The beach just isn't wide enough to have everything we'd like to have there.

aussie wrote:My Australian friend has been visiting Thailand for 3 to 6 months each year and for over 30 years, but after seeing what is happening at Dongtan beach recently and the deteriorated gay scene, has decided to sell his condo and return to Australia with only brief visits to Pattaya in the future.

This seems a fairly common occurrence, many people I know have either stopped coming all together or have greatly limited their trips, this is not limited to Pattaya, I had a drink with a Brit I have known for 12 or more years that has a condo in BKK he has put it up for sale and is weighing his options.......all this as we talked about the great places we remembered in Pattaya and Bangkok......oh well.

aussie wrote:My Australian friend has been visiting Thailand for 3 to 6 months each year and for over 30 years, but after seeing what is happening at Dongtan beach recently and the deteriorated gay scene, has decided to sell his condo and return to Australia with only brief visits to Pattaya in the future.

Your friend is no doubt lucky because he has a home to return to in Australia. I guess a lot of those who sold up years/decades ago to come to live in Thailand no longer have that luxury.

As this and other Boards have stated a lot in the last couple of years and more, the gay scene is changing rapidly for obvious reasons. I believe the change is irreversible and will mostly continue. Of course there will still be attractions for some regular visitors and retirees, especially those in committed relationships. But with the Asiafication of tourism, the good old days are well and truly over.

So which other countries I wonder will those approaching retirement and seeking sun, sex and perhaps some sand consider? I can't imagine the choice is very great. Cambodia seems the most likely. Parts of the Philippines would fit if you don't mind bullets whizzing past you in their mad President's campaign against drugs and ISIS now having a foothold in Mindanao. Vietnam seems ideal if you have a Vietnamese bf. I'm starting to look at Taiwan although accommodation costs are a lot higher than Bangkok and there is no retirement visa yet, although I hear they are working on one.

aussie wrote:decided to sell his condo and return to Australia with only brief visits to Pattaya in the future.

I'm sorry he feels that way. As for me, the longer I live here the better it gets.

The beach has been off my priority list for a long time - ever since the droves of boys stopped going, along with the water pollution. Fortunately for me, I have a car. There are other beaches without these nonsensical regulations and the water is crystal clear. They may not be gay beaches, but without the boys going, it doesn't make much difference to me whether the beach is gay or not.

There is a lot more to Pattaya than just bars and the beach. I feel extremely fortunate that I'm living right where my first choice as a holiday destination would be.